Beewildered Companions

The European beekeeping tradition is threatened by a small parasite from Asia called Varroa destructor, which has caused a severe decrease in the bee population. Since its invasion, honey in Europe can be produced only with the use of strong anti-mite medicine. Beewildered Companions is an ethnographic study of the socio-material relation of people and bees at a time of global diseases. From Switzerland to Russian Bashkortostan, from home laboratories to the deepest forests of Europe. It’s clear that we need to reconsider the status of the honey bee as domestic and wild species. Six observational and discursive chapters include key figures in beekeeping and unique footage of research and breeding nearly forgotten in Europe. (Academia Film Olomouc)